Transcription

- ALL ABOARD THE NEW
HOPE VALLEY RAILROAD.
THE TRIANGLE'S TRAIN IS UP AND
RUNNING FOR ITS SUMMER SEASON.
JUST 30 MINUTES
SOUTH OF RALEIGH,
THE SITE ALSO HAS FOOD
TRUCKS AND A MUSEUM.
LET'S HEAD NOW TO NEW
HILL AND CHECK IT OUT.
- [CONDUCTOR] ALL ABOARD!
- [DEREK] ONE SUNDAY EACH MONTH
FROM APRIL THROUGH DECEMBER,
THE NEW HOPE VALLEY RAILROAD
OPENS TO THE PUBLIC.
- [MIKE] WE HAVE TRAIN
RIDES FROM 11:00 UNTIL 4:00.
WE HAVE DIESEL AND
STEAM-POWERED TRAIN RIDES.
- TICKETS PLEASE!
- [MIKE] IT'S A
ONE HOUR TRAIN RIDE
THROUGH THE PINY WOODS
OF NORTH CAROLINA.
WE HAVE FOUR OPEN CARS AND
THEN WE HAVE ONE CABOOSE.
YOU CAN SIT UP IN
THE TOP IN THE CUPOLA
AND OPEN THE WINDOWS
AND KIND OF LEAN OUT.
THERE AREN'T TOO MANY
PLACES WHERE YOU CAN RIDE
AN AUTHENTIC 1920S
WOODEN CABOOSE,
SO IT'S A PRETTY
UNIQUE EXPERIENCE.
- [DEREK] THE NEW
HOPE VALLEY RAILROAD
IS AN ALL VOLUNTEER
RAILWAY IN BONSAL,
ALON THE CHATHAM-WAKE
COUNTY LINE.
- KIND OF AN OUTDOOR
MUSEUM, YOU KNOW
IT'S NOT YOUR TYPICAL
BRICK AND MORTAR MUSEUM.
YOU DON'T HAVE A
DOOR YOU GO THROUGH
AND YOU SEE DIFFERENT
EXHIBITS, IT'S ALL OUTSIDE.
WE'RE A NONPROFIT
EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION
AND WE'RE HERE TO
PRESERVE NORTH CAROLINA
SHORT LINE RAILROADING HISTORY.
- [DEREK] THE VOLUNTEERS
WORK TO MAINTAIN, REPAIR,
AND OPERATE THESE MACHINES.
- I THINK THE
FASCINATION WITH TRAINS
IS JUST INGRAINED IN ALL OF US.
YOU KNOW AS A LITTLE KID,
YOU WATCH A TRAIN GO BY
AND IT'S JUST SO
BIG AND POWERFUL
AND ALL THE NOISES THAT IT MAKES
AND THE PERSONALITIES
BEHIND THE EQUIPMENT,
AND I THINK EVERYBODY JUST
LOVES TO WATCH A TRAIN GO BY.
SO GETTING A CHANCE TO
COME OUT AND WORK ON IT
IS JUST A REALLY
FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY.
- [DEREK] THE VOLUNTEERS
COME FROM VARIED OCCUPATIONS
AND BACKGROUNDS, BUT THEY
ALL SHARE A LOVE OF TRAINS.
FROM THE G-SCALE MODEL
ON DISPLAY FOR VISITORS,
TO THE FULL SCALE,
AND THEY'RE HAPPY TO SHARE
THEIR ENTHUSIASM AND KNOWLEDGE.
- WHAT WE'RE STANDING IN TODAY
IS A RAILWAY POST OFFICE,
WHICH WAS BUILT FOR THE
SOUTHERN RAILWAY SYSTEM IN 1923
BY BETHLEHEM STEEL CORPORATION.
- [DEREK] AT ONE TIME
THERE WERE ABOUT 10,000
OF THESE CARS
OPERATING NATIONWIDE.
- THE UNIQUE FEATURE
OF A CAR OF THIS TYPE
WAS THE FACT THAT THE
CLERKS WHO OPERATED THEM
WERE EMPLOYEES OF THE
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT
AND THEY PICKED UP
MAIL THAT WAS IN SACKS
AT MAJOR RAILROAD STATION STOPS.
BUT THEY ALSO HAD
A UNIQUE FEATURE,
AND THAT WAS TO PICK
UP MAIL ON THE FLY
AT STATIONS WHERE THE
TRAIN DID NOT STOP.
- [DEREK] A VIDEO SHOWS
HOW THIS EXCHANGE WORKED.
- [ROBERT] AS THE TRAIN
PASSED THROUGH THE TOWN,
A DEVICE ATTACHED TO THE
CAR CALLED A MAIL HOOK
WAS EXTENDED FROM THE CAR
AND PICKED UP THE MAIL SACK.
- [DEREK] IN ADDITION
TO RIDING THESE TRAINS,
THERE'S ALSO THE OPPORTUNITY
FOR FOLKS TO ACTUALLY
BE THE ENGINEER ON THE TRAIN.
- WE CALL IT OUR
OPERATOR LOCO PROGRAM.
WE USUALLY DO THIS ON SATURDAYS,
AND YOU CAN DRIVE
THE LOCOMOTIVE.
THAT'S $125 FOR THE DIESEL
AND $250 FOR THE STEAM,
AND WE'RE ALREADY
SOLD OUT THROUGH JULY.
IT'S SO MUCH FUN TO SEE
THESE GUYS AND GALS,
WE'VE HAD LADIES COME OUT
AND RUN THE STEAM LOCOMOTIVE
AS WELL, AND THEY ALL
SAY, OH WE'VE BEEN WANTING
TO DO THIS SINCE WE WERE KIDS.
THIS IS SO COOL, I CAN'T
BELIEVE YOU LET PEOPLE DO THIS.
AND IT'S JUST A LOT OF
FUN, IT'S A LOT OF FUN.
I'M HOPING PEOPLE WILL
COME DOWN HERE AND SEE THIS
AS A VERY UNIQUE PART
OF NORTH CAROLINA,
SOMETHING THAT YOU JUST
DON'T FIND ANYWHERE ELSE.
A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN GET
CLOSE TO THE EQUIPMENT,
CLOSE TO THE PEOPLE, LEARN
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TRAINS,
HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF FUN,
AND ENJOY AND HOUR OR TWO
IN THE SUNSHINE.
- [DEREK] THIS IS DEREK LONG
FOR NORTH CAROLINA WEEKEND.
- [DEBORAH] THE NEW
HOPE VALLEY RAILROAD
IS AT 3900 BOSAL
ROAD IN NEW HILL,
ABOUT 30 MINUTES
SOUTHWEST OF RALEIGH.
ALL TRAIN RIDES
ARE RAIN OR SHINE.
FOR A DETAILED LIST OF
THEIR UPCOMING RIDES,
GO ONLINE TO TRIANGLETRAIN.COM.

Dore and Chinley

Sketch map of Dore and Chinley line

In 1872, the Midland Railway's only route from Sheffield to Manchester was via Ambergate. It had originally proposed a line to run from Dore to Hassop meeting its extension from Rowsley to Buxton. However, the "Dore and Chinley Railway" was floated independently in 1872, and unsuccessfully, until the Midland took an interest, since it would provide a more direct route, connecting through Chinley into Manchester. The line was authorised in 1884 and work began in 1888.

The 21-mile (34 km) line took six years to build. The terrain through Hope Valley and Edale was easy enough by Midland standards, but at each end there were formidable obstacles, negotiated by means of the Totley and Cowburn Tunnels.

Recent history

At the time of the Beeching review, the line was running in competition with the recently modernised, more direct and faster route through the Woodhead Tunnel, and its closure was suggested. On appeal, British Rail, being required to keep the Hope Valley line open to passenger traffic, instead shut the Woodhead route to passengers (and then subsequently to freight).

Metrolink proposals

In the early 1980s, proposals were put forward to convert the Piccadilly–Belle Vue–Rose Hill/Marple section of the Hope Valley line to light rail operation for the proposed Manchester Metrolink system. While construction of Metrolink went ahead, the Hope Valley line was not included in the system completed in 1992.[1] When in 2000, proposals for a large-scale extension of Metrolink were announced by the government, these still did not include conversion of the Hope Valley line; but subsequently, planning documents from Network Rail and from the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority have suggested that this route might be appropriate for tram-train operation, and as such it was suggested to the Department for Transport as a possible location for a national tram-train pilot.

Plans

Nottinghamshire County Council and the Department for Transport are investigating the possibility of adding another service that does not call at Sheffield in order to improve the journey time between Nottingham and Manchester. It currently takes 115 minutes, but the council believes it could be cut to 90 minutes. Improvements to allow faster speeds on a 2.5-mile stretch near Stockport could also shave off 2–3 minutes.[2]

Network Rail, in partnership with South Yorkshire ITA, will redouble the track between Dore Station Junction and Dore West Junction, at an estimated cost of £15 million. This costing is based on four additional vehicles in traffic to deliver the option, however, this will depend on vehicle allocation through the DfT rolling stock plan. This work will be programmed, subject to funding, in conjunction with signalling renewals in the Dore/Totley Tunnel area.

Other proposals include a loop in the Bamford area, in order to fit in an all-day (07:00–19:00) hourly Manchester–Sheffield via New Mills Central stopping service, by extending an existing Manchester–New Mills Central service.[3] Planning permission for this was granted in February 2018.